A multi-billion pound contract to supply Qatar with 24 Typhoon
aircraft has been signed today, supporting thousands of British
manufacturing jobs.
The Defence Secretary and his Qatari
counterpart, Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah, oversaw the signing
of the deal for 24 Typhoons, building on the Statement of Intent
signed in September.
In addition, the agreement signed today by the Qatar and British
Governments also includes a clear intention to proceed with the
purchase of Hawk aircraft.
Defence Secretary said:
It is a great pleasure to sign our biggest export deal for the
Typhoon in a decade. These formidable jets will boost the Qatari
military’s mission to tackle the challenges we both share in the
Middle East, supporting stability in the region and delivering
security at home.
As we proudly fly the flag for our world-leading aerospace sector
all over the globe this news is a massive vote of confidence,
supporting thousands of British jobs and injecting billions into
our economy.
The aircraft will be assembled in the UK by BAE Systems,
supporting thousands of jobs, especially at the company’s Warton
site in Lancashire where it will secure work on the production
line into the next decade. The biggest export deal for the
Typhoon project in a decade, the purchase is valued at around £6
billion.
The deal also includes an agreement with MBDA for Brimstone and
Meteor missiles and the highly-accurate Raytheon’s Paveway IV
UK-manufactured weapon for the jets. The Defence Secretary also
agreed a package of training and co-operation between the Air
Forces which will see them working together more regularly,
including Qatari pilots and ground-crew training in the UK.
The UK and Qatar share a close and longstanding defence
relationship, with a joint-exercise between the Royal Air Force
and the Emir of Qatar’s Air Force just last week seeing Typhoon
jets fly over the Arabian Peninsula. The two countries share
mutual interests of countering violent extremism, and ensuring
stability in the region, and this purchase will deepen those ties
by helping to prevent terrorism from spreading and protecting our
prosperity and security at home.
Qatar is the ninth country to purchase the Typhoon, with this
year seeing the first delivered to Oman. The Ministry of Defence
is also leading the offer to replace Belgium’s F-16s with the
jets and continues to discuss the prospect of a second batch of
sales to Saudi Arabia, as it continues to bang the drum for
Britain’s world-leading aerospace industry around the world.
